CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern Washington fans have a wide range of choices to support the Eagles this weekend, with four teams competing at or close to home. Football plays on Roos Field for the first time this season on Saturday with a non-conference matchup. Volleyball makes the short trip to Gonzaga for three matches, starting Thursday. Cross country opens its 2026 season also at Gonzaga on Friday. Still perfect on the season, Soccer stays at home with a tilt against a Mountain West foe. 

Football - vs. Northern Iowa (Saturday, Sep. 5 at 4 p.m.) - Tickets
Eastern is at home for the first time in 2026 on Saturday, hosting Northern Iowa at 4 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and listened to live on 700 ESPN and the Varsity App with the voices of the Eagles, Larry Weir and Paul Sorensen. 

Last Saturday, EWU kicked off the '26 season in Flagstaff against No. 24/25 Northern Arizona. The Eagles jumped on the Lumberjacks and led 24-3 in the second quarter and led 24-17 at halftime. Eastern went into the fourth quarter up 24-20, but NAU took the lead early in the quarter with a touchdown pass. Soren McKee helped tie the game at 27 on the Eagles' next possession. The 'Jacks then organized a long six-minute drive to score the go-ahead touchdown. Eastern organized a response, and Nate Bell marched the team down the field and into the redzone. Despite the effort, EWU could not convert and get touchdown, giving NAU the 34-27 home win. EWU outgained the 'Jacks, 429 to 365 in total yards. 

Bell posted a career-best with 307 yards on 30-of-47(63.8%) passing, throwing two touchdowns and running for a third. Drew Carlson and Jaxon Branch both set career bests in catches (9, 7) and yards (75, 88), with Branch grabbing his third career touchdown.

On defense, Jaylon Jenkins snagged his first interception of the year and sixth for his career. Myles Mayovsky (18), Bryce Smith (14) and McKel Broussard (12) all set career-bests in total tackles. 

The Eagles host Panthers at Roos for the third time in program history, holding a 2-0 mark against UNI in those contests. The teams met last season in Cedar Falls, Iowa, with the Panthers narrowly winning 17-14. 

Soccer – vs Wyoming (Sunday, Sept. 6 at 12:00 p.m.) Senior Day - Free Admission
The Eagles stayed perfect over the weekend with a 2-0 win over CSU Bakersfield to move to 5-0 on the season. This week they hope to stay perfect as they face off against Wyoming on Sunday, Sept. 6 at 12:00 p.m., for senior day. Eastern will honor Kyla Stroker, Allison Bennett, Mallory Osborn, Sage Reed, Mira Scarsella, and Marie-France Foguenne. 

This past week, Eastern continued its strong start to the 2026 season with a hard-fought performance against CSU Bakersfield on Sunday at the EWU Soccer Field.

The Eagles created opportunities throughout the match while matching the Roadrunners' physical play. Eastern's back line remained steady, with Payton Hyde anchoring the defense in goal. Scoring was Deanna Montero and Delaney Deckett. 

The match marked Eastern's return home following a successful two-game road trip to Illinois. The Eagles will look to carry their early-season momentum into their next matchup against Wyoming on Sunday, Sept. 6.

Volleyball – Gonzaga Invitational - vs Oral Roberts (Thursday, Sept. 3 at 2:30 p.m.); vs Cal State Fullerton (Friday, Sept. 4 at 2:30 p.m.); at Gonzaga (Saturday, Sept. 5 at 2:00 p.m.)
Eastern volleyball is coming off of their best start since 2018 going 3-0 over the past weekend. This week they look to continue their momentum into the Gonzaga Invitational. They start this week with Oral Roberts on Thursday, Sept. 3 at 2:30, then face off against Cal State Fullerton on Friday, Sept. 4 at 2:30 p.m. The Eagles will cap off the weekend with host Gonzaga on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 2:00 p.m.

Eastern Washington opened the 2026 season with a perfect 3-0 weekend at the Steve Nimocks Redhawk Invitational in Seattle, earning wins over North Dakota, Chicago State and host Seattle U. The Eagles' 3-0 start is their best since 2018.

Eastern opened the weekend with back-to-back sweeps, defeating North Dakota (25-17, 25-23, 25-17) and Chicago State (25-9, 25-17, 25-16). The Eagles closed the tournament with a 3-1 victory over Seattle U, dropping just one set across the entire weekend.

Kalista Lukovich led Eastern throughout the tournament, totaling 52 kills while averaging 5.20 kills per set and hitting .357. She also added 23 digs and nine total blocks on her way to being named the Steve Nimocks Redhawk Invitational MVP and earning All-Tournament Team honors and Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week. 

Jailyn Davenport directed the Eagles' offense throughout the weekend, including a career-high 35 assists against Seattle U. Sidney Gray provided a strong presence at the net, while Aspyn Reed contributed offensively and from the service line.

Cross Country – at Clash of the Inland Northwest (Friday, Sept. 4 at 8:30 a.m.)
Cross country is officially underway as Eastern Washington stays close to home to open the 2026 season at the Clash of the Inland Northwest, hosted by Gonzaga in Spokane.

The Eagles enter the season after being selected eighth on the women's side with 43 points and ninth on the men's side with 46 points in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches Polls. At last year's Big Sky Conference Championships, the Eastern men finished seventh, while the women placed eighth.

Eastern returns plenty of experience on the women's side, including Rhiannon Davies, Sara Sanders, Liv Hernandez, Hannah Lee and Lexi Meyer, who holds the school record in the 800m. The Eagles also welcome several newcomers, including Elie Cortes, Zaidence Zier, Mallory Keller and Kate Mickelson.

On the men's side, Eastern returns 1,000m school-record holder Owen Higgins, along with Conner Wirth, Charlie Ledwith and several other veterans. Highlighting the newcomers is seven-time Czech Junior National Champion Jiri Ceska, along with Ethan Martin and Evan Rasoumoff.

The Eagles open the season Friday, Sept. 4, at the Clash of the Inland Northwest in Spokane.
 

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2026 EWU football season tickets are now on sale! Join Spokane County's team for six home games at Roos Field in Cheney starting as low as $99. For more info, visit goeags.com/fbtickets or contact the EWU Ticket Office at 509-359-6059 or tickets@ewu.edu. 

Join the Eagle Athletic Fund for as low as $50 per year! Support Eagle student-athletes on and off the field while enjoying exclusive EAF perks such as season ticket and tailgating priority, invitations to special events, exclusive access, and more. Visit goeags.com/eaf for more information.

ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.

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